- Hometown
Southlake, Texas
- Major and Year of Graduation
Public Relations; Spring 2016.
- What was your first job out of college?
Architecture tour guide on the Chicago River!
- What is your current job and location?
Celebrity Assistant Associate Producer at The Kelly Clarkson Show; Los Angeles.
- When you came to college, what was it you wanted to do after graduating? How does
that differ, if any, from what you do now?
I for sure wanted to do something in television but wasn't sure what it was. After
a lot of applications and cover letters, networking and hard work, I'm in it!
- What drew you to working in entertainment and television?
Watching Live with Regis and Kelly with my grandparents (when I was younger) got me thinking, “Okay……I think I want
to work on a talk show…”
- What does your day-to-day look like on the job? What do you consider to be the best
part of your job?
A typical day for me includes researching booked celebrities and digging for unique
facts or untold stories, pitching ideas to my producer, and working with my team to
build strong chat segments. I also book audience hits (people who talk to Kelly from
the audience) and spend a lot of time communicating with different departments to
make sure things will run smoothly on a tape day! The best part is seeing our hard
work come to life in the studio! Oh, and being the designated dancing Christmas tree
in our Ambush Christmas episodes!
- Are you a goal-setter? If so (or if not), what are a couple of professional goals
you would like to achieve as you dive more into your career?
Yes, I'm definitely a goal setter! Short-term goals include seeing more of my ideas
make it to air. Long-term goals include hosting a show one day!
- What was the most transformative experience you had in CoMC? How does that experience
factor into your life today?
The classes that were super collaborative were amazing because you work with so many
different types of people. Every day, I work with all sorts of people and am constantly
learning new ways to be a successful communicator and teammate.
Also, I loved co-anchoring at MCTV. I was nervous at first, but you have to live life
outside of your comfort zone!
CoMC experiences don't end after you graduate. I had a very transformative moment
at CoMC as an alumna. I was visiting Lubbock for my sister's graduation, and I stopped
by to see Emily Balke [recruiter and student engagement coordinator] and Dr. Todd
Chambers [associate professor and associate dean for undergraduate affairs].
I was still a tour guide in Chicago and loving it, but three years doing that felt
like, “When am I going to start my career?!” I expressed doubts in myself, and they
rerouted those thoughts, motivated me, and pushed me to keep chasing after that TV
job!
Less than a year later, an old friend from an internship reached out about a job at
a small talk show in Nashville, and that's where it all began. I still reflect on
that conversation and I'm so thankful for it! Don't give up on yourself!
- What's the most surprising thing you had to adjust to out of college?
Working more than playing! I've been learning that television jobs come with long
hours—but it's worth it!
- Considering both your experience during college and in the industry, what advice do
you have for CoMC students now?
NETWORK! I feel like we always hear that word in college, but it's so important. Push
yourself to attend CoMC events, alumni events, career fairs, whatever it may be. You
never know who you will meet or who will believe in you, and when you may get the
opportunity to work with them! I landed two jobs in television through networking.
- Who was your favorite professor and why? Likewise, what was your favorite class in
the college?
This is a toughie. I loved all of my professors and advisors. I was in a couple of
Dr. Autumn Shafer's classes, and she was amazing. Jo Langston's classes were awesome,
too! They both pushed us to think outside of the box. Dr. Peaslee's class that helped
us learn how to use Adobe software was so cool. I still use what I learned in there.
I loved class. I could name like 18 others, for sure.
- When you see Texas Tech or CoMC swag out in the wild, you…
…shout “Guns up!!!” or “Wreck ‘em!!!” I get very excited. I actually have run into
a few Red Raiders out here! Most recently, I was repping my TTU sweatshirt in Target
and someone came up to me and asked, “You went to Tech?!” She also went to Tech, and
now we are friends!
tags: Alumni & Friends, CoMC News and Information, Public Relations, Students
